Building-block.



No. 795,177. PATBNTBD JULY 18, 1905. w. J. STERLING. BUILDING BLOCK. APPLICATION FILED HA3. 7. 1904.

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Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT tries.

WILLIAM J. STERLING, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF TIVO- THIRDS TO A. S. J GAMMON AND O. O. GRAVES, OF NORFOLK, VIR- GINIA.

BUILDING-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,177, dated July 18, 1905.

Application filed March 7, 1904. Serial No. 197,049.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that LVVILLIAM J. STERLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building Blocks and Tiles; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in building blocks or tiles and walls formed therefrom, the building-blocks being so shaped that walls or partitions may be formed with hollow ventilating spaces andv passages, the blocks being capable of interlocking so as to form a strong and firm structure.

The invention consists in a block formed with a long and a short face, the ends of the said bloekon the side of the long face being capable of an interlocking action.

It also consists in a building-block having one face twice as long as the other face, so that the block may be interchangeable and interlocking for building purposes.

It further consists in a building-block approximately T-shaped, the opposite faces of the block being made of a given proportion in length, so as to be interlocking and interchangeable.-

It also consists in certain other novel eonstruetions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a course of brick formed in accordance with the present invention, the bricks being laid alternately with their long and short faces adjoining each other. Fig. 2 is a similar view, but showing an intermediate locking-brick employed with T-shaped bricks. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional-view through a portion of a wall, a part of a joist being shown as projecting into the said wall and resting upon the bricks thereof. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of one of my improved approximately T-shaped blocks. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the intermediate locking-block.

The building-block forming the subjectmatter of the present invention is designed to be constructed of suitable materialjsuch as cement and sand in proper proportions, and

formed in any usual and ordinary 'way. The block may, however, be formed of clay or other tile-producing material,as the said block is equally useful in all places where tiling of various sorts are desired. The block is general] y produced by tamping the material in a mold by hand or by mechanical power, and the blocks may be subjected to hydraulic, pneumatic, or other heavy pressure,'as preferred. The block, as illustrated in the drawings, is preferably of an approximately T shape, and it is designed to lie upon its edges when assembled in a vertical wall, the long and short faces of the T forming the outer or inner surfaces of the wall. Each block is formed with a body portion '1', having elongated projections 2 extending therefrom on one side and shorter projections 3 on the other side, forming a shorter face than that formed by the projections 2. Thebody portion 1 is preferably provided with passageways i, extending through the same to lighten the block, as well as to provide for ventilation. The said body portion is also formed in its end faces with grooves 5. The grooves 5 are so arranged that when the blocks are placed one upon the other completed passages will be formed through which air may pass for the purpose of ventilation and maintaining the block in a cool condition. The long face or side of the block preferably terminates at the ends of the block withinwardly-extending locking portions 6. These loeking 'end portions are also provided with grooves 7 in line with the grooves 5 of the body portion 1 and end grooves 8, which may be used for locking purposes, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

A wall may be formed with blocks'constructed as just described, the blocks being applied together, as shown in Fig. 1, with the long and short faces or adjacent blocks arranged alternately. WVhen the blocks are arranged in this manner, the end projections 6 45 d tted lines in Fig, 1,

50 being employed.

'* "ted lines in Fig. 2.

may be permitted to interlock, as shown in said Fig. l, and in this manner the blocks are prevented frompulling apart. Considerable spaces are also formed in the blocks at their 5 ends adjacent to the locking projections 6, so

as toform air-spaces in the wall of considerable size and to assist in the ventilation of the said wall. While the blocks may thus'be formed and alternately arranged with their long and short faces adjacent to each other,

as shown in Fig. 1, yet the blocks may also be arranged as shown in Fig. 2, in which all of the long faces are arranged adjacent to each other, and the space between the short faces is filled with an intermediate lockingblock 9. The locking-block 9 is formed with one of its faces of the same length as the short face of the T-shaped block.- Projecting inwardly from this outer side of the block is a central locking portion formed with a recess 10, adapted to receive the locking ends 6 of the T blocks applied end to end, as shown in Fig. 2.' The locking-block 9 may also be formed with one or more ventilating-apertures, as 11, as well as with edge grooves 12.

The blocks may be arranged in courses, one above the other, as shown in Fig. 3, for forming vertical walls of buildings or like structures, and each course may be formed with the blocks arranged with respect to each other one block isadjacent to the short side of the adjoining block. In this manner the end locking portions (3 engage each other, so as to lock the blocks against endwise movement and greatly strengtl'ien the structure.

4o The courses of blocks are laid one upon the other in forming a building, and the joists 13' of the floors. are permitted to extend over the edges of the bricks or blocks, preferably resting upon the same at the points indicated in In placing the course of blocks in the wall which is opposite the ends of the joists, as shown at 14 in Fig. 3, the blocks are preferably arranged as shown in Fig. 2, the intermediate locking-block 9 In this case it is only necessary to cut a short portion off of the ends of the projections 3 on the blocks 1 and also a portion o if the ends of the block 9, forming recesses, as at 15, to accommodate the ends of 5 5 the joists 13 which rest upon the next course below, the, recesses 15 being indicated by dot- The blocks in the courses above the joists may be arranged in eitherthe manner shown in Figs. 1 or 2. Of course it will be apparent that the courses directly op posite the ends of the joists may be arranged as in Fig. 1; but in this case it will be necessary to cut slots or apertures in the inner surfaces of said blocks at suitable points for re,

'ceiving the ends of the joists. By using the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, however, it'is only necessary to shorten the ends of the blocks, as just described.

The blocks when used for the outer walls of a building may be roughened to represent stone or given any contour which it may be desired to have for producing certain artistic effects in the finished wall. The contour of the surface of said blocks can be readily formed as desired" by the shape of the mold when making the blocks. In applying the blocks one above the other in various courses to produce a wall the horizontal grooves 8 will coincide, forming passage ways extending horizontally through the wall, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. 7

A suitable binding-filling is interposed between the ends of the blocks when they are formed into a wall, such as cement, mortar, or the like. The lilling between the blocks when arranged as shown in Fig. 2 will form a key in the grooves 8 at the ends of the block and effectually prevent theend of one block slippingwith respect to the end of the other. It will also be apparent that a pin or any other device may be inserted in the grooves 8 when thus applied together for holding the blocks against lateral displacement.

In using the building-blocks fora wall it is also desirable to provide the said idockswith apertures 16, extending into the block from the surface thereof. Plugs or other fastening means may be inserted in these apertures,

so that lathing, picture-rodding, or other suit able wall-strips may be secured to the blocks lw-nailing them into the wooden or other plugs inserted in said apertures 16.

The blocks may be employed as tilii'ig of various sorts, as well as material for walls, and is admiraldy adapted for use as a lilling-tile in ceilings, floors, and the like. In using the blocks as floor or ceiling tile the long and short surfaces of the blocks will be arrangm-zd in a horizontal plane instead of a vertical plane, as shown in Fig. 3. The locking means at the meeting ends of the blocks will prevent the pulling apart of the tiles andthe slipping of the ends of the blocks with respect to each other.

W hile'the T-shaped blocks employed may have faces of varying proportions with respect to each other, yet the best result is ob tained by making the short face one-half the length of the long face, and this proportion is found admirably adapted to the uses of the block for supporting joists and building-timbers, as well as for applying the blocks in alternately-reversed positions, the blocks being thus practically interchangeable.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A building-block comprising an approxi Ice roam"? mately T-shaped body portion and lockingflanges thereon, said flanges being formed with grooves adapted to receive locking means.

2. A building-block comprising an approximately T-shaped body portion and lockingflanges thereon, said flanges being formed with openings adapted to receive locking means.

3. A building-block comprising an approximately T-shaped body portion and lockingflanges thereon, each of said flanges being formed with a plurality of grooves adapted to receive locking means.

4:. A building-block comprising a body portion, elongated projections extending laterally therefrom, relatively short projections extending laterally from the body portion and spaced from the first-mentioned projections, and inwardly-turned locking-flanges formed at the ends of said elongated projections.

5. A wall formed with approximately T- shaped building-blocks arranged end to end, each of said blocks being formed with lookingfianges and locking-blocks disposed between the planes of the opposite faces of said building-blocks, each of said locking-blocks inclosing the contiguous flanges of contiguous building-blocks.

6. A building-block, comprisinga body portion, elongated projections extending from one face of the body portion, shorter end projections extending from the other face thereof, and end lockingportions carried by the elongated projections, the said body portions having passages extending through the same, and grooves formed in the edges of the block, the passages and grooves affording ventilating means and serving to decrease the weight of the block.

7. A wall made up of approximately T- shaped building-blocks, each formed with a plurality of locking flanges, and lockingblocks inclosing said locking-flanges, each of the locking-blocks and each of said flanges being grooved for receiving locking means.

8. A buildingblock approximately T- shaped in cross-section, the head portion of the T having inwardly-turned locking portions extending for a part of the thickness of the block, the T-block having apertures ex tending into the face thereof at right angles thereto, for receiving attaching means.

9. A wall structure comprising courses of approximatelyT-shaped blocks applied end to end and locking means interposed between the blocks and lying between the planes of the faces of the blocks, some of said courses being formed with recesses between the ends of the blocks for receiving joists.

10. A building-wall made up of a series of building-blocks having long and short face portions, inwardly turned locking ends formed on said blocks, and intermediate locking-blocks for holding said end locking portions together said locking-blocks being disposed between the planes of the face portions of said building-block:

11. A wall structure, comprising a series of approximately T-shaped blocks applied end to end, intermediate locking-blocks for holding the ends of the blocks together, the said blocks having end groovesformed therein, said grooves being adapted to be supplied with filling means for preventing lateral displacement of the blocks.

12. A wall filling structure, comprising tiles having opposite long and short exposed. face portions, laterally-extending locking portions at the ends of the long faces, and means for preventing longitudinal and lateral displacement of the tiles with respect to each other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. STERLING.

Witnesses:

GAssEnL SEvERANoE, J OHN L. FLETCHER. 

